Action Alert - State Senate Bill 97:
Louisiana State Senator A.G. Crowe of Slidell is personally committed to banning toxic dispersants in State waters. He has introduced SB 97 which requires that dispersants used in oil spill response and cleanup operations be “Practically Non-Toxic.” The bill passed out of its first committee hearing with support of LEAN and Sierra Club. The bill was opposed by lobbyists from Louisiana Chemical Association, the ammonia producers, and Mid Continent Oil and Gas Association. Discussion in committee with Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality was that the bill would be amended on its way to Senate floor vote to allow “flexibility.” We are very concerned as to what “flexibility” will mean.
You can help:
Sign on to www.agcrowe.com and click to the right to sign the “Clean Our Gulf” petition. Senator Crowe needs numbers here to show support for requiring that dispersants be non-toxic.
Call your State Senator within the next few days to ask support for banning toxic dispersants. Let him know there are numerous non-toxic alternatives available. Toxic dispersants have been banned in other countries, why can’t we do it here. Find your State Senators at http://www.legis.state.la.us/
Go to http://www.legis.state.la.us/ and watch the progress of SB 97. If it passes the Senate then it will go to hearing in the House and then House floor vote. We may need phone calls to State Representatives. We will put out an alert when the next hearing is scheduled. It may be short notice. If you are available to show up at hearings and would like info on how that works please contact me at hrmartin2sc@gmail.com. We will let you know when the bill is scheduled to be heard and provide further information.
Thanks, Woody Martin, Chair
Sierra Club Delta Chapter
4 comments:
Not quite sure what the reason for this petition is. Dispersants used during the Gulf Oil Spill were tested against 8 other known "safe" dispersants by the Environmental Protection Agency in May of 2010 and found to be equally as safe. Therefore it would seem that the government is obviously already aware of concern for safety in the manner of dispersants, which makes this petition rather redundant.
I believe that you are incorrect in the statement that 'toxic dispersant' has been banned in other countries.
The UK restricts the use of Corexit to open water, not because it is toxic, but because it make rocks too slippery for limpets to attach to them.
Please check your facts.
Information on toxicity of Corexit to cleanup workers and to marine organisms is obtained from Material Safety Data Sheets and from extensive on site observation and research conducted by Riki Ott and related in her book "Sound Truth and Corporate Myth, The Legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill."
You can go onto the EPA's own website and view letters written back and forth between them and BP. Originally the EPA told BP not to use Corexit because of chemicals in it that are extremely toxic (like 2-butoxyethynol). BP then replied with a no, stating that they could use the dispersant because the chemicals listed are on the EPA's list of approved chemicals. So the EPA buckled. Do research...which means, check multiple sources, don't just trust what a government site may say.
My husband has his master's in chemical engineering and actually works with petroleum. As soon as his company heard BP was using Corexit, they were all extremely shocked that this was allowed.
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